June 30th and the Summer is On!

I haven’t written for quite awhile. After the big (and cold!) move in January we have

settled into the nice and

warm summer months. I believe I can say our house is officially done. Over the last

several months, loose

ends were tied up. The biggest change was the final fencing of the courtyard which allowed us to put in the plants and hang some flower boxes. My thoughtful mom and dad

gave us some housewarming money so I bought the cocoa baskets, bird

cage,

and ornamental iron stakes. My mom also bought me an awesome green frog

which makes me smile every time I

look

at it. We received our outdoor dining set and

umbrella a few days ago.

The last item is the grill…I believe we have chosen the Weber e-330 but will wait until after the 4th of July to

purchase it.

Then we can finally use the amazing bar-b-que tools that the culinary masters Marcus and Rochelle gave us at Christmas. I believe we will be putting them to good use and well into the colder months (which I don’t want to think about yet). Our other lovely friends Keri and David gave us a pizza stone which I think can be used on the grill. I will make sure to check that out because we have been making

pizza every two weeks

and grilled pizza

sounds wonderful. That brings me to yet another wonderful thing…our kind friends Sandra and Martin bought us a wine subscription so we will most definitely be imbibing some of the delicious wine in the courtyard…probably while

eating pizza. Our super sweet friends Daryl and Susan bought us an Amaryllis when we moved in. It was the most beautiful white

flower that had huge buds. It

certainly made the cold weather seem warmer

since we knew we were approaching spring when it bloomed. I reused the bright green pot to plant some

flowers outside. Sadly, it was knocked over and broke…the memory will always be there even though the shattered clay

pot is not.

Another significant step in finishing the house was the addition of the water faucet and electrical outlets on the roof. Thank goodness the water was

hooked up expeditiously as we planted flowers and strawberries in eleven flower boxes. We also planted 4 tomato plants and basil. Jeff

had to carry all of these up to the deck off the master bedroom and the rooftop deck.

It was imperative to have the water or we would have been lugging gallons of water to the roof daily to keep up with the

jungle we are growing! We also added a bamboo fence behind us and to the side facing the hospital to gain some privacy. The roof furniture is

comfortable and the view seems to get better and better.

For some unknown reason, we ended up with a 40 foot trench along the house. This was not

in the plan but the sidewalk was poured that was so we have to maintain it now. October Development gave us some boxwood shrubs and some

annuals but they don’t really make much difference. I planted additional flowers, creeping phlox as ground cover, and sunflowers. I think the sunflowers are going to look really cool – some of them are huge!! Next spring I will think about adding hydrangea, lavender, or tall grasses to fill in some space. The front of the house was planned and the plants we choose look pretty good. Next year, of course, all of the perennials should be settled in and bloom a bit more. It will be nice to see the progression over the next several summers.

Inside the house, we have added several pieces of furniture and some new art work – a gift from my extremely thoughtful husband. Crate and Barrel has been our friend. We have acquired some really nice accent furniture from them. I have gotten to know Garrett, one of the delivery guys, fairly well. Happily, Jeff and I are ready to stop the bleeding and start saving some money. I am glad we have everything (except the grill and fireplace) we need to complete the house. It sure seems like it took a long time to get here but we are really enjoying watching the fireworks after every home Pirate game and walking all over the city. I will update the blog occasionally to show the progression of the garden and what interesting things are happening on the Northside. We should be eating tomatoes by the end of July if this heat keeps up. Until then, happy summer everyone.

On a side note, I took a bike ride from our house to the Casino, then to Washington's Landing, and back home. I have to say...it was fabulous. The trail along the river is immaculate. People were on boats, kids were playing in the fountain by DelMonte, the city looked stunning...I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to live in Pittsburgh!

IT'S DONE....well almost ; )

After years of looking and years of planning, Jeff and I have finally moved in to an (almost) complete home. Besides a few boxes in Alex's room and the storage closet that needs organized, we are barely showing signs of the move. Oh, and the artwork is propped up on around the walls where Jeff is still thinking about hanging it. We will eventually have a finished parking area and courtyard once the weather starts to warm. The final touches will be stained decks and a good power washing. Construction on the other four town homes next to ours continues so it wouldn't really be prudent to worry too much about the dust and debris.Within the next couple of months, we will begin to beautify the outdoor spaces with lots of flowers, potted tomato plants, herbs, and a small tree.I have put in a request with the city to plant trees on our sidewalk facing the city. They get grant money from TreeVitalize and will do it for free if you agree to take care of the tree(s).I think that is just wonderful. Hopefully we get trees this summer. I am not sure what the waiting list is like. We would do it ourselves but the city doesn't allow it. I guess they have enough problems with the sewer system...tree roots just add another layer of decay.We have a couple of pieces of furniture that have yet to be delivered. Specifically, bar stools, a credenza (I love that word), and nightstands. They should all be on site by the end of March. We have rooftop furniture in one of the garages next to us. I can't wait to check it out...maybe in a couple more months. Last Saturday I woke up and saw the sunrise...right from my bed out the back of the house. I just laid there and soaked it all in...it was the icing on the cake. Slowly but surely our house is turning into a warm and cozy home. I hope you all come to visit. Thanks for taking the journey with me...now I have a magazine and a fireplace that are calling my name.

Let the Moving Begin!

So, lucky us. We got to begin our move on the COLDEST DAY OF THE YEAR so far...just callit luck I guess. Actually it wasn't so bad. The 2 degree weather was diminished a bit by the blue skies and beautiful sunshine. Also, lifting and moving boxes tends to keep you warm. We will make the final move next Saturday, January 29th. Happily, we have hired three movers to do all the work. No more lifting and going up and down stairs at least until we are moving around in our new digs. We are also pleased to have such wonderful friends - The Eubanks - make us a hearty chicken dinner with mushroom risotto and a fresh radicchio salad. Oh - and the 2004 Montes Folly didn't suck either. Lucky us to have friends that share the good wine too! So back to the move...Yes people, it is actually happening. One more week in Lawrenceville then it is off to Deutschtown forever!

(Yes Susan, you have to cross the Allegheny to get there but it really isn't that far!)

All of the appliances are hooked up. The heating, cooling, water, fireplace, etc. are ready to go. Final electrical work is taking place and final painting touch ups are moving along. The stairs have been stained and they are so pretty. We picked up our "gumball" chairs at Hot Haute Hot on Saturday. They are still in a box so I will post furniture photo's after we have all of our deliveries taken care of. Most are scheduled for January 31st. Our coffee table will arrive last on February 2nd. We still need to acquire nightstands and a buffet...when will the spending stop! We bought new towels, sheets, and pillows today so I guess the spending will continue for awhile longer.

The most exciting part of the move, however, was going to the rooftop deck for the first time. We had a view when Jeff lived on Mt. Washington. We had a view from the South Side Slopes as well.

I have to say, the view we have from our roof rivals any view in the city. We can see from the Strip District to Mt. Washington and have a fantastic view of Downtown. We couldn't be more pleased!

I Have Been So Neglectful!

So much has been going on and I haven't spent 10 minutes writing something to show all the progress. I am really going out on a limb here, but we are truly starting to move in this weekend and will be fully moved in on January 29! The process of building is finally (almost) complete! What the hell am I going to talk about now ; ). I wanted to post some photo's to show what has been going on... Now that all of the finishing touches are taking place, I realize my dream of moving to the Northside of Pittsburgh is finally going to come true. The photo's cannot do justice to the real live house. I can't wait to have everyone over for dinner and fun. The kitchen is to die for. We have so much space and couldn't ask for nicer granite. The glass backsplash sparkles like the beach. The cabinets are perfect, deep, and are beautiful. Our master bath is like a spa...I couln't be more pleased with the tile and the fixtures. Jeff and I saw the tile on a trip to Toronto (with our lovely friends Martin, Sandra, Marcus, and Rochelle!)...I can't believe we now have it in our very own home. Ceiling fans, chandeliers, faucets, etc. are installed and gleaming.

We ended up buying our vanities from DecorPlanet.com. I couldn't imagine how nice they were going to be. Beautiful hardwoods, heavy and well structured faucets, soft close hinges...just spectacular. Outside action is happening (will post additional photo's soon) The courtyard and sidewalks have been poured but the parking area is still gravel. Siding is only up on the third floor due to the concrete being poured but that should be finished in the next day or two. The spiral stairs to the rooftop deck is up...again...I need to take some pics and upload them. Trust me...it is wonderful. Jeff and I will take our first walk to the roof this weekend. There is so much more to report...I will post again this weekend. Furniture has been scheduled to be delivered on January 31...hello...is that MGBW's calling....oh and Noguchi & Linet Roset too!! How nice of you to want to join us at 1330 James Street in the historic district of Deutschtown! Let's shake some Twentieth Centuries and pop some Champs! Almost time to tear the roof off the sucka if you know what I mean!!

A Flurry of Activity...on the Inside at Least

Much to our pleasure, Jeff and I saw the hardwood floors laid out in the kitchen today. The wood is gorgeous. We are so happy we picked the wide panels too. They look great. It will be awesome to see the rest of it put inthe dining and living area. Our fireplace has been nicely framed and the mantle is just what we asked for; simple and clean.

All of the windows have been

framed and much of the tile has been

placed as well. The laundry room, Alex's bathroom, the vestibule, and the HVAC closet are complete. The tile for our master bath is on site. It is everything we wanted and are too excited to see it in the

bathroom...hopefully next weekend before Christmas. Fred built the bench in our shower and it looks like the tub is firmly set into place and ready to be framed out. It was really nice to see our bedroom as it was painted in the beautiful blue color we picked out.

The painter was there and said they had painted it once...the wrong color which Sherwin Williams sent over by mistake. I am glad they caught the error - it was a pretty obnoxious blue. It was nice to see that they remembered to use the Harmony Zero VOC brand as requested. It was disappointing to see they used Egg-Shell instead of Satin...guess who has to paint the room again! Details, details, details...

Oh - and one other fun item we saw was our radiant heat flooring ready to be rolled out. Also, (so much to report this week!) are interior doors are being hung as I type. It looks like there have been some very busy people working on the inside of the house. Not sure what the deal is outside. Progress has been made on the deck off the master bedroom.

However, our courtyard and parking area are still piled with debris. Also, our siding, which was to be onsite two weeks ago is still M.I.A. We don't have front steps yet either. There is still much to do and time is running short. I hope the weather holds out and the next week is filled with progress. Christmas is just around the corner and so is the new year. We are just keeping our fingers crossed that every hour is utilized to it's fullest and we are moving in our artwork and clothing in the next couple weeks. Dear Santa...I want a courtyard, a parking area, and front steps please!!!

Smooth White Walls, A Brick Fence, and Sub Floors

Walls and rooms have appeared and are ready to be primed. It was really cool to see the definition of space and be able to see how big each room is going to be. The first floor looks awesome. It is just how we wanted it - open and inviting. We are definitely going to need to buy a buffet. Jeff better get a second job! The subfloors are in all of the bathrooms, vestibule, and laundry room. Our master bathroom shower also had a nice littlesurprise. Fred (yes we love Fred) made a cutout in the shower so we have a shelf. That was a great idea. Our radiant heat floor should be installed soon too. This bathroom is going to be my biggest delight. I have never been one to fuss around but I think I am really going to like hanging out in there.

On the outside, we have a beautiful brick fence on the sidewalk side and a partially finished wall next to the parking area. Kurt is still tossing

around ideas on how to finish this part. The parking area is going to be high so he needs to figure out the logistics. He told me not to worry because it is all in his head. I know it is going to look great but I have no idea what it is going to look like. They ordered the sandstone to finish the top of it but it hasn't arrived. Kurt is going to work on the parking area and courtyard this week. Hopefully we will see his vision soon. Our siding for the back of the house should arrive next week. So once the siding is done, the parking area graded, and the fence/walls are complete, we should be able to see a very large pour of concrete!

Beautiful Colors and Drywall Waiting to be Hung

Today was not only a beautiful 64 degrees and sunny, but our house is almost completely painted too. It was the perfect day to see the just completed job. Our doors and window frames still need done but the roof and dormers are just stunning.

Drywall is stacked throughout the house so we expect that to be completed by mid-week. The inside is fairly cleaned up as well so I guess they moved all the cutting equipment, tools, and supplies to another unit. Our house is no longer the workroom.

The wall to our courtyard is beginning to take shape as well. It is neat to see the definition of space since this area has been a staging ground for all the bricks, wood, equipment, etc. We are really excited to see this area progress. It still is a bit of a mystery in my mind as to what the wall will look like and how much space we will have for plants and outdoor furniture.

Our rooftop deck floor is complete which

is a welcome sign. Hopefully the rooftop and deck off the third floor will be done before turkey day. The weather is supposed to be delightful until a drastic drop in temperature occurs on Thursday evening. Five weeks and counting!